How to develop proper breath control for singing - this question comes from Laura:

Q: "I’m a musical theater singer and my current biggest challenge is mastering breath control. I know how to breathe properly for singing, but I can't seem to find exercises that improve my breath control. I’ve tried breathing in and breathing out on a hiss, but I don't know if it is helping."

Breath Control For Singing

When it comes to breath control for singing the best way to improve it is through actual singing practice rather than breathing exercises such as the infamous "sustained sss".

Breath control for singing is developed by learning how to pace where you give your energy on a phrase - which is why you need to practice this in singing.  Just doing a sustained "sss" will not teach you how to use it in singing.

The louder and higher you sing the more you will feel a "push" from the lower abdomen, the sides (love handles) in particular if you do it right.

If you push...

If you're wondering "Why is my voice raspy?" when singing, or how to sing clearly then watch the video and read this article.  Today's question comes from Mark:

Q: "Hey Phil my problem is I can go through my Bridges, but when I hit my first bridge or beginning of the mix I get a rough tone ( Vocal fry and it crackles like crazy) I don't know if it's that I might have acid reflux, thyroid issues, or maybe allergies. I have been taking meds and no luck I am guilty of pulled up chest as well, and have trouble singing quietly.  I don't feel like I'm thinking out the voice in the right way. Thanks"

So why is my voice so raspy when I sing?

There are usually two reasons why your voice is raspy/crackly/distorted.  It can sometimes be because of misuse/overworking the voice - I deal with this a lot in pro gigging and touring singers.  However in THIS particular case today, from the singer who sent in the question, the problem is different.

The problem stems from...

Hi, I hope you enjoy my version of John Legend's All Of Me. What you see here is a single live take with no punch-ins or lip-syncing. I wanted to give this song more of a "swingy jazz" kinda vibe with the rhythm but keep the song fairly stripped back, hence the acoustic nature of it.

I came up with the chords for this about a year ago and just did nothing with it! Then a few weeks ago I recorded the guitars and started working out how I wanted to sing over it.

If you enjoyed this performance please share it with your friends and leave a comment!

Cheers

Phil Moufarrege

If you’re wondering how to sing properly and whether you’re on the right track or not with your singing - this article is going to be just what you’re looking for. 

I know you’ve probably been around the block before and you’re familiar with a lot of different singing methods, techniques, terminologies etc. and you might be wondering:

“What’s right and what’s nonsense?  I feel like I’m taking blind stabs in the dark…”

“What exercises/techniques should I be focusing on and how can I know if I’m singing properly?”

“I’m worried I might damage my voice if I keep going the way I am…”

What I hope to give you today is a “cheatsheet” for how to sing properly – so you have a good yardstick of what to look out for and how to know if you’re on the right track or not.  Sound good?

First up – I’m Phil Moufarrege and I’m a pro...

If you ever feel confused about all the singing terminologies, techniques and methods out there and don’t know what and how you should be training, then I think you’ll find Jaffer’s singing transformation here very inspiring – after struggling with his voice for years trying to find the right teacher and method for him, he now has insane range, control, and tone and can now tackle difficult stuff like Bruno Mars and Journey.

What Jaffer has to say about his singing transformation

"I started singing like 3 years back and had previously never studied voice or anything ...Hell I didn’t even know that the voice was something you could actually train - I always thought that you were either born with it or not.

So when I started singing training, I discovered that there’s a lot of fancy words and terminologies (at least fancy for me!) that vocal coaches threw in my face during lessons.  And sometimes I was a bit too embarrassed to keep saying "I...